Modern computing advances in which processor speeds have increased and computers are able to connect with other computers with increasing speed and efficiency have enabled what was once a purely physical system that was operated by electro-mechanical controls to now be operated by wired digital controls. As an example, conventionally, a power plant was operated by a human operator on-site, but, in the advent of modern computing advances, a physical power plant can be controlled by an operator using a digital control system as an intermediary. The use of computerized and digital controls can make the physical system vulnerable to cyberattacks in which a hacker or otherwise unauthorized user can manipulate the cyber-physical system in undesired ways.
Cyberattacks on cyber-physical systems (CPS) have been on the increase over the last few years. Attacks on water treatment plants, steel plants, gas pipeline pumping stations, automobiles, etc., have now been reported in the literature. A CPS system is one where computing, communications, and control come together to manage the physical operations of a system. Increased dependency on cyber-physical systems has amplified concerns of cyberattacks on these systems.
Attacks on CPS are, at their very core, attacks on control systems. A control system can include sensors, control algorithms, and actuators, and their implementation in computerized form, through the use of appropriate electronics and software found in programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and execution control units (ECUs).
To better understand the impact of cyberattacks upon CPS, it can be useful to simulate and analyze the effects of cyberattacks on CPS. Specifically, it can be useful to map the effects of a cyber-attack to the effects it can have on the control systems and physical components of a CPS so as to obtain a robust understanding of the consequences that cyberattacks can engender upon a CPS.